Amy Werbel
@awerbel.bsky.social
Professor researching censorship and freedom of expression in art, law, and culture. Author of books: Lust on Trial, Lessons from China, and Thomas Eakins. Love my growing family, colleagues, and students here in NYC and around the world.
My latest Anthony Comstock-inspired cautionary tale. theconversation.com/censorship-c...
#censorship #Kimmel #freespeech
#censorship #Kimmel #freespeech
Censorship campaigns can have a way of backfiring – look no further than the fate of America’s most prolific censor
Anthony Comstock’s decades-long censorship campaign ended up turning him into a laughingstock.
theconversation.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:47 PM
My latest Anthony Comstock-inspired cautionary tale. theconversation.com/censorship-c...
#censorship #Kimmel #freespeech
#censorship #Kimmel #freespeech
Reposted by Amy Werbel
“As traditional sources of news crumble, there is Coker and hundreds of others like her who are keeping journalism alive.”
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/...
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/...
What keeps local reporters going? ‘We live here and we want a better society.’
One in 3 U.S. counties no longer has a single full-time reporter, depriving communities of a reliable mirror. Meet Margaret Coker and the other journalists fighting to keep local news alive.
www.csmonitor.com
August 9, 2025 at 1:29 PM
“As traditional sources of news crumble, there is Coker and hundreds of others like her who are keeping journalism alive.”
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/...
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/...
Reposted by Amy Werbel
New round of #grants! This is an “initiative to help historic preservation-related not-for-profit organizations and similar institutions identify and maintain their archival resources related to stories of historic preservation.”
www.nypap.org/shelby-white...
www.nypap.org/shelby-white...
Shelby White & Leon Levy Archival Assistance Initiative Grants 2025 |
www.nypap.org
August 9, 2025 at 12:14 PM
New round of #grants! This is an “initiative to help historic preservation-related not-for-profit organizations and similar institutions identify and maintain their archival resources related to stories of historic preservation.”
www.nypap.org/shelby-white...
www.nypap.org/shelby-white...
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Public art is all about process and collaboration. The conservation of Exodus and Dance exemplifies this fact. I hope it inspires young residents to become interested in art and its history, and in the incredible work of conservators, in this instance, EverGreene and Jablonski. Thanks to all.
June 30, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Public art is all about process and collaboration. The conservation of Exodus and Dance exemplifies this fact. I hope it inspires young residents to become interested in art and its history, and in the incredible work of conservators, in this instance, EverGreene and Jablonski. Thanks to all.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
It has been a long and dispiriting year at Columbia, yet today's PhD graduation reminded me of what is best about academia: bright people consumed with new ideas and novel ways of thinking about the world.
May 18, 2025 at 8:50 PM
It has been a long and dispiriting year at Columbia, yet today's PhD graduation reminded me of what is best about academia: bright people consumed with new ideas and novel ways of thinking about the world.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Highly recommend following the work of the Southern Environmental Law Center who have tracking this and other polluting data center projects in the South
www.selc.org/topic/data-c...
www.selc.org/topic/data-c...
May 10, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Highly recommend following the work of the Southern Environmental Law Center who have tracking this and other polluting data center projects in the South
www.selc.org/topic/data-c...
www.selc.org/topic/data-c...
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Next Thursday, May 15th, Hell Gate is teaming up with @nysfocus.bsky.social for a one-of-a-kind mayoral forum. A livestream for the event will be available on 👇this page👇, where you can also find a 😎 Google Cal invite 😎 to set a reminder for your future self 👍 hellgatenyc.com/mayoralforum/
New Mayor, New Media: A Democratic Mayoral Candidate Forum
Hell Gate is teaming up with New York Focus to present a forum at The Public Theater with the leading Democratic candidates for mayor.
hellgatenyc.com
May 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Next Thursday, May 15th, Hell Gate is teaming up with @nysfocus.bsky.social for a one-of-a-kind mayoral forum. A livestream for the event will be available on 👇this page👇, where you can also find a 😎 Google Cal invite 😎 to set a reminder for your future self 👍 hellgatenyc.com/mayoralforum/
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Pritzker: If you're not out there protesting in front of a Republican congressman's office, or out in the street making your voice heard, or calling your friends in another state to have them do it.. then you're not doing what's necessary to put pressure on them to vote the right way.
April 30, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Pritzker: If you're not out there protesting in front of a Republican congressman's office, or out in the street making your voice heard, or calling your friends in another state to have them do it.. then you're not doing what's necessary to put pressure on them to vote the right way.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Team Trump is cutting money for deaf kids.
“Pediatric deafness is a neurodevelopmental emergency. Without support, deaf and hard of hearing children do not learn to communicate, which has cascading effects on brain, language, social & occupational development.”
www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/202...
“Pediatric deafness is a neurodevelopmental emergency. Without support, deaf and hard of hearing children do not learn to communicate, which has cascading effects on brain, language, social & occupational development.”
www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/202...
Funding Cuts to Deaf Education Impact Disabled Students & Families
Across the country, from rural Utah to Florida, students who are deaf or hard of hearing will face dwindling access to critical support services
www.tc.columbia.edu
April 28, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Team Trump is cutting money for deaf kids.
“Pediatric deafness is a neurodevelopmental emergency. Without support, deaf and hard of hearing children do not learn to communicate, which has cascading effects on brain, language, social & occupational development.”
www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/202...
“Pediatric deafness is a neurodevelopmental emergency. Without support, deaf and hard of hearing children do not learn to communicate, which has cascading effects on brain, language, social & occupational development.”
www.tc.columbia.edu/articles/202...
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Jake Tapper: "One 60 Minutes source tells me, 'The lawsuit was baseless. Bill Owens wouldn't apologize. He wouldn't bend. He fought for the broadcast and for independent journalism and that cost him his job. It's shameful.'"
April 23, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Jake Tapper: "One 60 Minutes source tells me, 'The lawsuit was baseless. Bill Owens wouldn't apologize. He wouldn't bend. He fought for the broadcast and for independent journalism and that cost him his job. It's shameful.'"
Reposted by Amy Werbel
The corollary to the statement "Anti-Zionism is always antisemitism" that the Trump administration has asked so many American institutions to adopt is the statement, "My Zionism prima facie protects me from possibly being antisemitic." And fewer people want to talk about that second part.
April 23, 2025 at 12:38 AM
The corollary to the statement "Anti-Zionism is always antisemitism" that the Trump administration has asked so many American institutions to adopt is the statement, "My Zionism prima facie protects me from possibly being antisemitic." And fewer people want to talk about that second part.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Small colleges have taken the lead -- but they are now joined by 6 of 8 Ivies: Cornell, Penn, Princeton, Yale, Brown, and -- yes -- Harvard.
And, finally, by a handful of big publics: U. of Washington, Wisconsin, Rutgers, SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, UC Riverside, UVa, UMD.
And, finally, by a handful of big publics: U. of Washington, Wisconsin, Rutgers, SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, UC Riverside, UVa, UMD.
A powerful call has just gone up on the website of the @aacu.org : “A Call for Constructive Engagement” signed by almost 200 college & university presidents (more sure to join), from community colleges to R1s! #academicsky #edusky @academic-chatter.bsky.social www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
A Call for Constructive Engagement | AAC&U
A Call for Constructive Engagement
www.aacu.org
April 22, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Small colleges have taken the lead -- but they are now joined by 6 of 8 Ivies: Cornell, Penn, Princeton, Yale, Brown, and -- yes -- Harvard.
And, finally, by a handful of big publics: U. of Washington, Wisconsin, Rutgers, SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, UC Riverside, UVa, UMD.
And, finally, by a handful of big publics: U. of Washington, Wisconsin, Rutgers, SUNY Buffalo and Stony Brook, UC Riverside, UVa, UMD.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Something like 90% of the grad students in my department are federally funded (research grants covering both their stipends and their tuition). There is no way to plug the hole if that money disappears. The number of grad students would shrink by an order of magnitude if not more.
The problem is the teaching will also collapse w/o the federal research funding. Fewer labs, postdocs, faculty, & grad students, plus the end of the “hard” sciences subsidizing what’s left of the liberal arts. So fewer courses, majors, & degrees. The entire model collapses.
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
I suspect that all selective universities could still break even just teaching and abandoning research. The federal money pays for research, which has expanded a lot. It would be a horrible tragedy if the money went away, and what it would mean is the end of scientific research and many hospitals.
April 22, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Something like 90% of the grad students in my department are federally funded (research grants covering both their stipends and their tuition). There is no way to plug the hole if that money disappears. The number of grad students would shrink by an order of magnitude if not more.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Fun fact: before pasteurization became widespread (1920s in the US), milk was a regular carrier of tuberculosis, diphtheria, and typhoid. Before FDA food inspection standards, inferior milk was regularly adulterated with chalk, lead, alum, plaster, and even arsenic to improve its color and texture.
US FDA suspends milk quality tests amid workforce cuts reut.rs/4cHdnz3
April 22, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Fun fact: before pasteurization became widespread (1920s in the US), milk was a regular carrier of tuberculosis, diphtheria, and typhoid. Before FDA food inspection standards, inferior milk was regularly adulterated with chalk, lead, alum, plaster, and even arsenic to improve its color and texture.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
😬
Don't put in the newspaper that she is a history buff.
The review of the Smithsonian museums for "improper ideology" is being led by a 35-year old lawyer who has no experience or credentials in history or museum studies.
But one supporter says she is an avid "fan of history."🗃️
The review of the Smithsonian museums for "improper ideology" is being led by a 35-year old lawyer who has no experience or credentials in history or museum studies.
But one supporter says she is an avid "fan of history."🗃️
She told Trump the Smithsonian needs changing. He’s ordered her to do it.
Who is Lindsey Halligan, the attorney assigned to help remove “improper ideology” from Washington’s most important cultural institution?
wapo.st
April 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
😬
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Wangechi Mutu, The Seated III (2019), bronze
April 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Wangechi Mutu, The Seated III (2019), bronze
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Yes, and if the history of military conflict teaches us anything, it's that shooting the people in your own trenches is definitely a winning strategy
I don't give a shit who says it, but Dems need far fewer conflict adverse geriatrics that don't have the energy to fight. It's a political war right now and we need more people that act like it.
April 21, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Yes, and if the history of military conflict teaches us anything, it's that shooting the people in your own trenches is definitely a winning strategy
Reposted by Amy Werbel
“The problem is,” Sinek writes, “for many of the overpaid leaders, we know they took the money and perks and didn’t offer protection.”
I think that’s part of what bothers us about higher ed leaders today.
I think that’s part of what bothers us about higher ed leaders today.
April 20, 2025 at 11:37 PM
“The problem is,” Sinek writes, “for many of the overpaid leaders, we know they took the money and perks and didn’t offer protection.”
I think that’s part of what bothers us about higher ed leaders today.
I think that’s part of what bothers us about higher ed leaders today.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
The turnout in small towns across the country has been incredible drawing crowds of thousands. We’re already seeing over one million in attendance nationwide, and events are still underway. Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Ohio all had especially surprising showings.
April 19, 2025 at 7:12 PM
The turnout in small towns across the country has been incredible drawing crowds of thousands. We’re already seeing over one million in attendance nationwide, and events are still underway. Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Ohio all had especially surprising showings.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Chloë Bass at the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington.
April 18, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Chloë Bass at the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Trump’s illegal abduction of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is fascism. Full stop.
Sign to demand his return:
Sign to demand his return:
Bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia Home
Kilmar is not alone. He is one of over 250 immigrants deported without due process, as part of Trump’s $6 million deal with Bukele’s government—a plan to funnel immigrants, often with no criminal…
MoveOn.org
April 17, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Trump’s illegal abduction of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is fascism. Full stop.
Sign to demand his return:
Sign to demand his return:
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Svrl “media rights grps issued new guidance that urged student newspapers to consider being more flexible abt requests to remove content or ID’ing material from their stories.” “Offering anonymity [is not] just protecting sources from losing their jobs, but… more existential upending of their lives”
Student Journalists Wrestle with Censoring Their Own Work
Navigating a surge in requests to take down previously published material.
www.cjr.org
April 17, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Svrl “media rights grps issued new guidance that urged student newspapers to consider being more flexible abt requests to remove content or ID’ing material from their stories.” “Offering anonymity [is not] just protecting sources from losing their jobs, but… more existential upending of their lives”
Reposted by Amy Werbel
The Trump regime is now using US Attorneys to intimidate academic journals by sending them letters demanding they explain how they ensure ‘viewpoint diversity.’ Journal editors should be public about this and coordinate to refuse to comply with these fascist tactics.
April 17, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The Trump regime is now using US Attorneys to intimidate academic journals by sending them letters demanding they explain how they ensure ‘viewpoint diversity.’ Journal editors should be public about this and coordinate to refuse to comply with these fascist tactics.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
The 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War is this weekend, a moment when a leader’s arbitrary exercise of power sparked a rebellion.
Opinion | The king we overthrew — and the king some now want
Americans need to reconnect with their innate dislike of arbitrary rule.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 17, 2025 at 7:12 PM
The 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War is this weekend, a moment when a leader’s arbitrary exercise of power sparked a rebellion.
Reposted by Amy Werbel
Not the headline I want to post. But for everyone trying to understand what’s happening at UMass Chan, why things are so difficult, this is what’s happening. We are a service institution. We educate; we care; we give; we serve rural MA. We dont make money. Our own govt is crushing us. Link below
April 17, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Not the headline I want to post. But for everyone trying to understand what’s happening at UMass Chan, why things are so difficult, this is what’s happening. We are a service institution. We educate; we care; we give; we serve rural MA. We dont make money. Our own govt is crushing us. Link below